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This is my perfect cooking scenario: I walk into the farmers market with an open mind and no preconceived recipe idea. I take a quick scan and an idea instantly pops into my mind. I grab zucchini, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, these gorgeous amaranth greens, and we head home. (Ok, we stop at the doughnut stand, and then head home).

Later that night, I start chopping, mincing and simmering. Jack works on the computer upstairs and instead of being mad that he’s working yet another weekend, I go to my zen place of carefully balancing flavors over the stove. Lemongrass, coconut and lime zest perfume the kitchen. He comes down, we pour wine. I continue simmering and we taste… it’s nearly perfect. Maybe a pinch of salt. I layer in diced tomatoes, barely wilted amaranth greens, herbs, and pour it over my zucchini noodles. Everything comes together exactly how I had envisioned and then it even sits well for the camera. Click, click, click, and then we lovingly sit down and enjoy sunday dinner.

I promise, this never happens. At least not from start to finish.

But it’s the times like this that keep me going… they reset the score and make me forget about the recipes that have been labored over, the food that wilted before the camera, the dishes that piled up in the sink. And of course the snarky comments that Jack and I have exchanged throughout this process. It’s moments like this that remind me to think less, intuit more, have more patience, and to be more open. Good things happen when you’re open to them happening. A Love & Lemons life lesson and a recipe…

Heat coconut oil over low heat. Add most of the scallions, grated ginger and the lemongrass piece (whole, you'll remove it later). Add the coconut milk and fish sauce and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, while you prep everything else. (about 20 mins). Add lime juice and a pinch of sugar. Taste and adjust. If it becomes too thick as it reduces, add a few tablespoons of water.

Dice & deseed your tomatoes and add those to the pan.

Prep zucchini noodles and set those aside.

Chop amaranth leaves and add those to the pan. Stir them in until just wilted.

Top bowls with cilantro, crushed peanuts, and serve with chili-garlic sauce.

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sidenote: even if you’re not a gadgety person, I highly recommend getting a julienne peeler. I’ve all but quit using my vegetable spiraler because it’s a huge contraption to drag out. You can get a julienne peeler for as cheap as $9, and it takes up no space in your drawer.

this looks and sounds so perfect! I recently (I know, VERY late to the party) got a julienne peeler and I can’t stop. Anything and everything must be shredded. Always a fan of these flavors too, can’t wait to try it.

Never would have guessed that you guys have your little blips and remarks on the blogging/creativity front. Your work is always so polished! It’s true that you have to think of all things well + good to make them real though. And I want these noodles. In muh face. Perfect, Jeanine 🙂

ha, thanks Laura :). It’s something that’s hard for me to communicate, my graphic designer-ish tendency is to make things pretty not show the disasters that often happen behind the scenes. But the process has been a lesson in “teamwork” that’s for sure…

It’s reassuring that things don’t always turn out perfectly for you either! It’s easy when you see these beautiful pictures and recipes to think that it’s as easy as 1,2,3 for some bloggers.
Love the look of this- am overwhelmed by courgette right now in the garden and wanted an alternative to pesto courgette noodles and courgette pad thai (not that I don’t love them, but new is good)
Thanks for sharing 🙂

I’m glad I’m not the one doing the snarky comments thing. My roommate and I used to make jokes like, “Another quick and easy weeknight meal” (after working on something for upwards of two hours) or, “If it’s easy, why bother?” And now I live and cook with my sister, and we make the same jokes. They ARE jokes, but when we’re exhausted from the chopping and blending and sautéing and everything else that goes into making a vegetarian meal and maybe not even loving the results THAT much, there’s definitely an undercurrent of bitterness. I’m clearly the common denominator, so I was wondering if something’s just wrong with me…but maybe it just goes with the territory of cooking (or undertaking anything else) seriously. Anyway, I’m glad you had an easy, breezy time with this one, and the results still look fantastic.

Love your blog but gotta say this post just resonated familiarity here. Thank you for this. You became a real person who DOES have the same behind the scene everyday annoyances (work,lack of free time, things not going as planned…) as most of us do. Knowing this now, and seeing how consistent, beautiful, and amazingly delicious your recipes are despite gave me heightened admiration for your work. Yes, your busy like the rest of us but you still make time and put lots of effort into this beautiful blog. I will enjoy your future posts and recipes that much more. Bravo! Now on the kitchen to get some spiralizer action going…

I just made this for dinner the other night and I flipped out- it was so incredibly delicious.
This is definitely going to become a staple in my kitchen. Thank you so much for the recipe! Beautiful photos, too 🙂

So, I went out a bought a julienne peeler just for this. I became obsessed with your gorgeous recipes and wound up all the way back here…It might be the best thing I’ve ever made from scratch. I’m a lazy college student who can’t cook to save her life, and I was sure I’d messed this recipe up until I took my first bite and fell in love. Thank you so much!